Fed Chair Jerome Powell says it not QE, so let’s just call it REPO MADNESS (the surge in Fed activity surrounding the repo market).
QE3 had The Fed adding $40 billion per month in Treasuries and Agency MBS, then QT (quantitative tightening struck). But the fear of repo madness struck and The Fed started purchasing $60 billion of Treasury bills per month.
More specifically, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York added $86.4 billion in liquidity to financial markets. In two operations carried out Monday, the Fed injected $36.4 billion in overnight liquidity and $50 billion in 32-day liquidity extending into the coming New Year.
Eligible banks took far less than the $120 billion the Fed was willing to offer in the overnight repurchase agreements, or repo, operation, while they wanted just slightly more long-term liquidity than the Fed was offering in the longer-term repo operation.
Eligible banks want more long-term liquidity? Does this mean more QE? Again??
Its a good thing that US inflation is so low … except for health care insurance.
